When you’re working with a new client, putting your best foot forward is critical from the very first interaction. As an interior designer, your brief process plays a vital role. You need to nail it.

Why is the brief so important?

Your brief isn’t simply an information gathering process. It’s also a sales tool. How you approach it shows clients what you’re about, and how committed you are to their project. It’s either a deal maker, or a deal breaker.

In this blog, I share some key steps that will make your client brief work harder for you.

1. Effort + Detail = Commitment

It’s a good idea to ask clients to fill in and send you the brief before your first meeting. After all, if you’re willing to invest time in an initial consultation, then you should expect some effort from them too.

Why? It’s important to know that they’re serious about working with you, and not just looking for the lowest price, or free advice. By asking clients to share their needs in detail, they’re putting some skin in the game.

If they are truly serious, then they’ll be happy to spend time on your brief. If they don’t, then they’re either not ready or they’re still shopping around.

2. Avoid Scope Creep

We’ve all experienced this before. Having the conversation with a client mid-way through a project about additional work and charges isn’t easy or comfortable. When your client’s expectations are different to yours, it often comes down to missed or poor communication. While it’s easy to blame the client, minimising the dreaded creep is within our control.

One way to avoid it is to make your brief watertight. If it’s designed it in a way that makes it easy for clients to communicate their wants and needs from the simplest to the most complex, you’re on the right track.

It’s then up to you to communicate those needs back to them in your proposal, showing that you understand precisely what they mean. By submitting an accurate scope, quote and project timeline, your client will have the right expectations and clear boundaries right from the start.

Not only will you avoid scope creep, but your client will feel relieved that they’ve found an interior designer who ‘gets’ them, so they’re more likely to trust you throughout the whole process.

If scope creep is common for you, work out the areas where it most commonly occurs, and then look at your brief. Can you improve it to minimise creep?

4. Give it Visual Appeal

Start the way you intend to continue. For interior designers, this hits the nail on the head.

The way you present your brief tells clients a lot about you. How you come across has a huge impact on client conversion, and the overall success of the project. Clients want to see that you’re trustworthy, empathetic, and consistent. And above all, that you know what you’re doing.

Remember that you’re in the design business, so your brief should reflect that. A visually appealing and easy-to-follow brief is a must for every interior designer. It can be the difference between winning or losing a job.

5. Stick to the Process

You’re busy enough already, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time you take on a new client. By following a few key steps, you’ll turn your brief into a well-oiled machine, and save a lot of time and effort. In a nutshell, when you have a comprehensive and well-planned interior design brief, the process is easier not only for you, but also for your clients.